


there is an army inside of you

by ElevenGaleStorms



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Maria will be in future chapters, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-19 23:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElevenGaleStorms/pseuds/ElevenGaleStorms
Summary: #1: Never again; "The memory she experienced once again told her many things and gave Cal… an idea. She raised her hand, despite the warnings of the guard, and moved to jerk the man’s arm…"#2: Deathless death; "He was there for her from the moment she saw her mother's necklace held in her cold, grip. "#3: Sweet dreams are made of this; "She was alone yet not. And somehow that made all the difference in that one moment."#4: United We Stand, Divided We Fall; "In a last ditch attempt, Callum Lynch finds herself... in the past. Here's to explaining to stepping on butterflies by the dozens."#5: Sanctuary; "Cal didn't find peace in the reassuring presence of the reality around her. No, it was in the futile illusions that haunted her and the memories that followed them."#6: Memento Mori; "They followed her every step, with wisps of smoke trailing behind them. They were forever her memento mori."#7: Unexpected; "It was a surprise to see her. The achingly familiar tattoos inked on her face created a foreign yet familiar sensation in her chest."Centers on Fem!Cal and her relationship with her ancestors.





	1. Never Again [Aguilar & Fem!Cal]

Aguilar de Nerha was a silent presence in the recesses of her mind.

A passive observer of sorts.

Cal never did prompt him or even try to connect with him. She and her ancestor just didn’t have the same connection the rest of the group had with theirs.

She didn’t know if it was because of the difference in gender or just simple incompatibility.

But a part of her was relieved. A homicidal Spaniard conversing with her should not be added on top of simply staying alive.

McGowen and his Templar goons were enough trouble already.

_Liar._

* * *

Sometimes, Cal wishes she did have some connection with Aguilar. If not for the added boost in skills, then merely the companionship.

It was an odd sort of envy to see the slight smiles on her comrade's faces as they had conversations with their ancestors.

“He hasn’t talked to you, anymore?” Moussa asked with his characteristic mischief surrounding him like a cloak of sorts.

“No,” Cal absently stirred the soggy noodles that were called ramen in front of her, “It is better that way,” she assured.

But who was she assuring:

Moussa or herself? 

* * *

 In life, they were always times where you just wanted to lie down and give up.

For Cal, it happened to her every waking moment.

Her days went through a cycle:

_Wake up._

_Stab the alarm with her hidden blade for the millionth time._

_Eat._

_Kill._

_Stab._

_Interrogate._

_Drink._

_Sleep._

And that went on for weeks during her time as a novice in the North American Brotherhood under William Miles.

At least, until someone had the bright idea to send her out on what was now a suicide mission-Cal never was regarded of fondly by her Assassin comrades...

This lead to Cal’s current situation of being held at gunpoint and hand pinned to table with a rather sharp knife.

Well, I hope I can still use that hand after this, Cal thought.

Then again, it would be best to worry about surviving first.

“Is the situation under control?” The high-pitched voice of one Violet de Costa came over the comms of the guard.

A few choice words came through Cal’s mind.

“Yes, ma'am,” he replied.

“Good. Keep it that way, or it’ll be your head on the dinner plater.” The resounding click signaled the end of the message.

“I must say that I had no idea you Templars were cannibals.” She put on a smug grin on her face.

“You should keep your mouth shut.” Cal gritted her teeth when the knife pinning her hand to the desk was painstakingly removed. Still, having her hand back was an improvement-

And the guard just brought the knife to her throat.  
Great-

**_Move._ **

_Cal looked in what could only be horror as Maria-that woman- used Ojeda to kill her. The sinking feeling in her stomach along with the resulting rage gripped at her chest._

_She could not move._

**_Movemovemove._ **

_Cal could feel her ears ring as the ringing became louder and louder…_

_Until she felt something warm bloom in her ears._

_She brought a finger to feel for the warm area only to stare blankly at the liquid on her fingers._

_Blood-_

As the guard loomed over her with his knife pressing insistently at her throat, Cal knew that Abstergo would have her, if she did nothing.

The memory she experienced once again told her many things and gave Cal…

An idea.

She raised her hand, despite the warnings of the guard, and moved to jerk the man’s arm…

Only to stop.

Cal couldn’t move.

It was sudden and unexpected thing.

Aguilar de Nerha’s presence.

His presence unfurled like a sleeping cat in her mind, and spread out, blanketing her mind in a familiar haze.

Cal didn’t know what exactly happened.

Only that Aguilar’s smoky form appeared and the weight of the knife was gone.

The only thing Cal could make out of the words she heard-was Aguilar speaking Spanish backward- was...

_“Nunca más.”_

**_Never again._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cal is probably out of character in this. Well, at least I tried to write this idea I had for a while. If I write more of this, I plan on having the ancestors that appeared around Cal in the movie appear in later chapters. I'm thinking about writing some Maria/Aguilar in the next chapter, but I am not sure how to write them (and I don't want to write their relationship really out of character). Anyway, I hope this wasn't too cringy. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Cal really didn’t want another phantom to haunt her.

But… the Initiate in charge of the research into the Frye Twins wanted her to synchronize with Victor Lynch to obtain valuable data regarding the technology he had in his possession during his lifetime.

As Cal expected, Aguilar… was not pleased.

At all.

The weight of his stare bore down on her even as he stood motionless at the other end of the room. Even the smoke twisting and contorting to make up Aguilar’s form was unusually still.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.

Memories of the time where she was forced into the Animus played as a constant reminder.

As the Initiate beside her grinned down at her with eagerness evident in her eyes, “Yes, an education in history according to the Templars, how brilliant.” The Initiate muttered to herself.

Cal didn’t bother to respond to the statement. Although, her lips curled into something akin to that of a smile.

Yes, Cal would be getting a lesson in history by a Templar.

Well, this was undoubtedly going to be interesting. 

* * *

 

Cal once thought that facing a homicidal Spaniard-phantom was terrible enough.

However, having a pissed off Templar coming at her with something crackling- _electro-chemical bombs, something inside of Cal told her_ \- was even worse.

As she ducked away from one of the thrown bombs with electricity crackling in the air, Cal actually missed Aguilar.

And speak of him, and he shall come.

Aguilar’s presence stretched out like a cat awakening from its sleep and the tensing in readiness.

This time, when her ancestor tried to attack her once more, Cal didn’t move.

Something-no someone told her not to.

The nauseous stench of chemicals and hair prickling sensation of electricity ignited the air as Victor Lynch’s hand moved…

Only for it to be twisted behind his back and a hidden blade stabbed into the small of his back.

The “phantom” dispersed into a cloud of black smoke before dissipating in the air.

Aguilar’s form was tempestuous with its violent motions of smoke. Yet Cal just stood there, staring at her ancestor.

* * *

Aguilar seemed to look for something in her, before walking towards her. His footsteps barely audible, like a trained killer.

_“Ten cuidado. Los lobos siempre acecharán cerca.”_

And, just like his dispersed opponent, his form disappeared with only thin white and black smoke curling in the air.

A reminder of his presence.

Still, only the weight of her ancestor’s words was thought of by Cal.

_**Be careful. Wolves will always lurk nearby.** _

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Bloody hell.”

Cal could barely see the swearing figure of Shaun. Seeing had become more and more difficult when she to go through this.

This was precisely why she didn’t use “Eagle Pulse", as some have dubbed it.

“Haemolacria,” she suddenly stated, “It’ll go away in a few minutes.”

That was a lie.

The blood in her tears was thicker than usual, and Cal knew she must have looked like something out of a horror movie.

Scaring Templars would be quite easy at least, Cal thought. 

* * *

 

“If you were like this every day, Templars would just take one look at you and then run away.”

“Thanks for that, Moussa,” Cal said dryly.

It was true though.

She looked like something out of a horror movie with thick tears of blood trailing down her cheeks. At this point, Cal didn’t even try to wipe it away.

And to think her condition was all because of a particular ancestor of hers.

And for once it was not Aguilar de Nerha.

Apparently, Arno Dorian, a French Revolutionary that happened to be her ancestor had Eagle Vision at a price.

Haemolacria.

So while most people complained about having poor vision, Cal had to deal with tears of blood and temporary blindness.

“You look horrible.”

At this point, Cal didn’t even bother to reply to Nathan’s comment. Picking a fight with him would only result in getting her ass kicked in her current condition.

* * *

Aguilar’s presence was curled inside her mind, while Victor was off somewhere being the busybody he was.

So Cal didn’t need to worry about her ancestors-

And then he was standing right in front of her.

Great. As if her day couldn’t get any worse, it did.

“Not in the mood,” she tersely said before trying to push past him. A sudden movement to her right made her tense and pivot to face the attack-

Her vision melted into that of blue and gray.

A muffled curse escaped her mouth before her world turned downwards.

Oh wait, that was the floor-

* * *

“Good to see that you are awake, Lynch.”

Cal peered into the darkness and brought hands up to her eyes. The somewhat rough fabric of gauze over her eyes brought a sense of anxiety.

“Am I-”

“No, it is just temporary.”

“How...how did I get here?” The corridor Cal was in wasn’t usually frequented by people, which was exactly why she went there.

“You tell me. Shaun heard you calling something out in Spanish, and saw you dragging yourself across the floor.”

Aguilar.

“At least I didn’t sing this time.”

“Ah, yes. I heard your singing skills leave much to be desired-” If she could have glared at the man, she would have, “I must go. Do make sure this doesn’t happen again. It would be a shame for the Brotherhood to lose an Assassin such as yourself.”

Cal agreed with that. Losing the opportunity to send her on what could only be called suicide missions would undoubtedly be a loss to the Brotherhood.

Her comrades even had a bet going on whether or not she would return from the next mission.

Nathan being… himself had bet against her coming back.

As a result, she almost had enough money to get that phantom blade she had been eying from the French transfer Assassin.

Aguilar didn’t seem as amused with the betting on her life. Then again, he rarely appeared when she was with her comrades and always seemed to be unamused.

Speaking of the man, Aguilar had been acting rather strange in the last couple of days starting when she had that idea from one of Aguilar’s memories - Maria’s death, a part of Cal reminded her insistently.

 _“Descanso,”_ A familiar accented voice told her.

Even when her eyes were uncomfortably sticky with blood and blind, Cal immediately relaxed.

It was almost frightening.

Don’t trust him, was all she could think about when she fought against him at Abstergo’s facility.

And now she was doing exactly what she told herself not to do.

Everyone- _Nathan, Emir, Lin, Moussa_ \- told her to trust her ancestor. All except for William Miles. Something in his eyes made his entire presence seem melancholic and angry almost.

Something she could empathize with.

Cal knew that she shouldn’t trust an illusion.

Yet, she would.... for now.

Because he helped her when no one else could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haemolacria is actually a real condition that causes the person to make tears of blood. In the game, Arno Dorian has time-limited Eagle Vision, so I just thought of this as the result. This was not meant to offend people in any way, at all. Anyway, I have a feeling that Cal was probably out of character in this. Any constructive criticism is welcome. Also, does anyone want Maria to be in the next chapter? If so, I'll start thinking and researching about her characterization. Thanks for reading!


	4. Walk (like you have 3000 ancestors walking behind you) I

> **_"We are all ghosts. We all carry, inside us, people who came before us.” - Liam Callanan_ **

* * *

They said that our blood does not define us.

That everyone had a choice in their life.

That our ancestors had no role in who we are.

They were wrong.

(If anything, Cal knew that history always repeats itself.)

Always.

* * *

Her hands shook, and mouth became dry as her father stood before the corpse of her mother. The necklace hung from her cold, dead- _alwaysdeadpleaseno_ -hands.

Something inside Cal broke.

Her father chanted almost demonically with his eyes hooded-whyweretheyLIKEthat- and advanced towards her.

 _He’s going to kill me_ , that morbid thought wormed and contorted itself into Cal’s mind.

Her own father was going to murder her.

A hysterical laugh almost bubbled past her numb lips. Weren’t parents supposed to always protect their children?

(Cal failed to notice a figure of navy blue smoke staring solely at her.)

_Repeat_

* * *

It was tomato sauce. She must have crashed into some bins of tomato sauce while “sleepwalking.”

Or whatever the hell she had been doing when that man appeared.

_Lielielielie-_

Her hand still clutched the icy metal of the crimson cross.

Shoplifting Animus software was supposed to be easy.

Steal the software, and sell it at a higher price to the kids who have all too much money to spend.

Cal still had her eyes closed. If she opened them…

The man would still be there while mouthing one word:

**_Run._ **

_Repeat_

* * *

The man never disappeared.

Cal was drinking herself to sleep over and over again as the week of her mother’s death anniversary approached.

It was easier that way.

(So why did she feel something knaw at her every time she picked up a bottle)

_“Ça ne va pas aider. Sois bon avec toi, Callum.”_

She took another swig, the cold bottle’s surface was slick with perspiration.

Cal did not just hear that.

(She was not going insane.)

_Repeat-_

* * *

“What the fuck is going on?” Cal ignored the man’s slight grimace at the profanity.

Why the hell did he care? He was not her…

Father. By Ezio’s beard- _where did that come from_ \- did she want him to not be like That Man.

_“Il n'y a pas de plus grand enfer que de regarder tes erreurs se répéter. S'il te plaît, ne me fais pas supporter ça, pour les deux.”_

“Speak English, you-” The cold pressure on her shoulder sent a bolt of shock shooting up her spine.

“I wish for you to be greater than I ever was,” The man leveled his eyes at her, sunlight from the broken window hit his eyes to make an almost molten amber glow at her, “Be good to yourself, Cal.” The bittersweet smile he sent her made her think that this was just a hallucination.

(Funny, that she never got this when she got drunk. But flukes always happen… right?)

_Repeat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It could be worse for Cal in this. Imagine Victor Lynch "haunting" Cal. Off topic here, but for me (if I was ever in Cal's situation), I probably would have a somewhat interesting "ghosts" of my ancestors considering one of my ancestors fought a bear... with a knife (most interesting story in my family, honestly) and the other was a scholar who betrayed a Korean king. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter! Let me know if you want me to continue this and have Aguilar appear in the next part. Thanks for reading!


	5. Walk (like you have 3000 ancestors walking behind you) II

Chemistry.

It wasn’t that Cal hated it… if you called trying to burn the textbooks not “hating” it.

She just didn’t like the labs for one reason:

The nostalgic feeling always bubbled up in her chest, and her fingers twitched to do something.

Anything… except for following the lab instructions.

(And one time, she followed that urge.)

* * *

 Cal knew this was a bad idea.

Still, something had just come over her when she laid eyes on her teacher’s computer and electricity outlet at the corner of the room.

Cal vaguely wondered if she was possessed because she had just felt a presence almost smile-if presences even did that.

“Time to have fun, love.”

“What the-” Her hand jolted in surprise…

She didn’t know what happened other than the blurry figure and smell of smoke.

There was cackling too. The one, only a mad person, would have.

Her head pounded with the beating of her heart, and a persistent ringing could be felt in her aching ears.

The floor beneath Cal felt odd, soft almost. Like it was covered in carpet-

_“Ready to be lynched, Lynch?” A hot flush of anger coursed through him and the snickering of his… dearest companion turned into that of horrible screams._

_No one mocked Victor Lynch-_

Cal’s eyes flew open, and she rested her head against the floor.

It wasn't soft.

“That was one hell of a drug trip.” The breathless statement escaped her lips. The haze that clouded her vision retreated, and Cal felt the presence in her curl almost.

A soft pressure in her throat soon turned to a chuckle.

And then an outright laugh.

Until it gave way to cackling.

(But that wasn't her.)

_Crazy, I'm crazy for feeling so lonely_  
_I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue-_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist writing this chapter, even though Cal was probably really out of character in this. I just wanted to write more of Victor Lynch and how he would react to the chemistry of the 21st Century. Anyway, I've finally made up my mind about Maria's appearance. She will appear along with Aguilar in the next chapter. It'll mostly involve Cal trying survive being in 15th Century Spain as well as other things. Maria and Aguilar's relationship will appear as the main pairing in it, so... any feedback on how I can improve the characterization of their relationship after I post the next chapter would be much appreciated. Well, thanks for reading these odd writings of mine!


End file.
